Palestine to launch 2017- 2022 development plan

UNITED NATIONS, December 10, 2016

Palestinian government is set to launch its new five-year plan for the 2017 to 2022 period in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said a report.

The government has created a national team to steer and co-ordinate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in wide-scale consultation with civil society and the private sector, stated the Emirati state news agency Wam.

The UN General Assembly, by a draft on "Assistance to the Palestinian people", urged member States, international financial institutions and regional organisations to extend economic and social assistance to the Palestinian people.

It also stressed the role of all funding instruments in directly assisting the Palestinian people and called on international donors to expedite the delivery of pledged assistance in order to help the Palestinian people meet their urgent needs, said the reporr.

During the day-long meeting, speakers shared experiences in giving and receiving assistance and urged donors to continue aid flows to the Palestinian people.

Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of Palestine, said: "A Palestinian development plan must be established in accordance with the 2030 Agenda."

Calling on Member States to work "alongside us" to adopt a draft supporting those "genuine" development endeavours, he said the Palestinian people were determined to overcome all obstacles and manage a modern state with great efficiency.

Mansour pointed out that the Palestinian economy had suffered from decades of Israeli occupation with a lack of control over their monetary and fiscal policies, the two main components of a healthy economy.

While citing recent progress, he said economic losses continued, with everything that was being paid to the Palestinian people being "just a bill of the occupation". Accessing its resources would allow Palestine to establish a strong economy, making it no longer dependent on international aid, he added.